Moonliner: No Stone Unturned

by Hanzel, Donald

  Deep inside he knows he’s more excited for Nikki to go to the moon than she is. They’ve been together over a decade now and often communicate on levels that require no speaking.

  “Nikki’s report will air in twenty-two seconds,” Phaedra’s voice fades in to remind Cedric, timed not to interrupt news reports.

  “On screen,” Cedric replies. The wall behind him illuminates with a clock counting down from nine seconds. Suddenly, Nikki appears on screen sitting in a room with a distinguished, astute looking gentleman, ready to interview him. Behind them is a wall-sized mural of the moon next to a rotating 3D model of a moonliner spacecraft.

  “Good afternoon and welcome to today’s DOT-5 Exclusive Interview,” Nikki begins. “We’re talking with renowned moonliner Captain Leaf Mason about the rapid success of the Moonliner program. Thanks for joining us today Captain Mason.”

  “The pleasure is all mine Nikki,” Leaf replies with a warm smile; “but please call me Leaf. It keeps me feeling young.”

  “Thank you Leaf,” Nikki responds; “how does it feel to pilot a moonliner?” she asks; “it must be a rush.”

  “Every single time,” Leaf answers. “I’ve seen our blue planet and its moon from so many different angles, at so many different times and it always seems like a new discovery. Sometimes I even enjoy a momentary delusion of grandeur and imagine myself as a nautical, seafaring captain of ancient times, crossing a deep dark sea and mooring on distant shores.”

  “Fascinating,” Nikki adds. “Don’t you ever get scared?” she asks with a slight look of fear in her own eyes.

  “Sure, we all do,” Leaf responds; “but the level of automation onboard the spacecraft leaves me with few responsibilities, allowing me to focus my efforts on overseeing the entire flight. So in essence, I feel like a privileged passenger who is around to make big decisions should they need to be made, but otherwise along for the ride like everybody else.”

  Smiling, Cedric sits glued to the screen, feeling as though Captain Mason may have reassured Nikki by empathizing with her. It’s all starting to come together for Cedric; the time tests and Nikki’s trip. The timing couldn’t have been more divine. He shrugs off his prior fears and starts looking for something to wear tonight, on this night of nights. The interview continues in the background as Cedric selects a shirt:

  “Our viewers seem to know quite a bit about Moonliners,” Nikki goes on to say; “everybody knows they’re emission free and have solar skin that is constantly recharging batteries. What else can you tell us that we may not know?” she asks.

  “The entire ship is capable of coming apart,” Leaf answers.

  “How so?” Nikki asks.

  “Each segment of the ship is essentially a smaller ship, equipped with its own ozone, life support, communication and navigational system.”

  “How would a person get command of a segment?” Nikki asks. “Could a segment be stolen?”

  “No,” Leaf answers; “at least not very easily. Control access has to be granted by military ground control, and they don’t give it up easily.”

  Captain Mason is an extensively experienced, highly competent captain and navigator, and thus exudes confidence. You can see it in every facial tick; hear it in every word.

  “How safe are Moonliners?” Nikki asks. “We know the safety record is impeccable but have we done this long enough to foresee all the pitfalls?”

  “Moonliners are impressively safe,” Leaf answers. “Virtually every system on board is backed by at least three other independent systems, each running perpetual diagnostics. Highly sensitive long and short range object scanners warn us of any approaching meteors or micro-meteors. We have onboard medical staff, you name it.”

  “Moonliners are only designed to fly between orbiting stations, not for atmospheric entry or aerodynamic aviation. Doesn’t this make you feel a little uneasy operating in low earth orbit, just above the atmosphere?” Nikki asks.

  “To some extent, Moonliners are designed for atmospheric flight,” Leaf answers. “It’s a common myth that they aren’t. But don’t get me wrong,” he adds; “flying through air is not their specialty.”

  “But Moonliners don’t have wings,” Nikki points out.

  “They have a series of smaller, retractable wings and parachutes for emergency landings,” Leaf replies. “We’ve been trained for such highly unlikely events, including water landings.”

  “Hypothetically, wouldn’t the ship burn up on entry into the earth’s atmosphere?”

  “Either the ship as a whole, or in segments, could easily survive entering the earth’s atmosphere. You see, nano carbon materials not only allow us to create a really strong and extremely light spacecraft, but they also provide ample heat resistance for re-entry. The same solar skin you mentioned also acts as an impressive heat shield.”

  Nikki smiles as the screen dims. Cedric continues to get ready for dinner as news reports soon fade back into the background.

  “Forensic experts have confirmed that P-wave detectors onboard the CHILex high speed maglev train that derailed near Antofagasta, Chile were in fact fully operational at the time of the crash which claimed the lives of over three-hundred people. The detectors were ineffective due to the train’s close proximity to the earthquake’s epicenter. P-waves precede shock waves, or S-waves in earthquakes and can be more easily detected. The further the detector is from the quake’s epicenter, the earlier the warning. Shutdown mode had been activated onboard ChilEx 703, just not in time, however, to avert disaster.

  “Helium 3 rose today by almost two cents amid positive speculation in the futures market within a few short hours of TriCore Mines unveiling its lunar expansion plan. Financial analysts with TriCore project H-3 to continue its bullish pattern throughout the year.”

  Moonliner 1:6

  Nikki sits at a sidewalk bistro table with Chara and Oriona, chatting and laughing. There’s extra energy in the early evening air, generated by Nikki’s rapidly approaching flight. The closer she gets to her trip the less real any of this seems.

  Though plenty of light remains in the day, a narrow sliver of a waning moon is brightly visible through the glowing blue hue of the atmosphere. It continues to catch Nikki’s eye, distracting her from the idle chatter of her friends. She’s in a minor state of shock from the late-sinking reality that by this time tomorrow she’ll be rocketing toward that sphere in the sky, four hundred thousand kilometers away.[3]

  Nikki has a lot on her mind this evening and it’s not only her unsettling fear of her upcoming flight; she’s wondering where all of this is going. When she decided on journalism as a major, she had simple goals in mind. This assignment could easily get her noticed nationally, or even internationally. Though flattered, this isn’t how she has envisioned her life unfolding.

  “Oh well,” she thinks to herself; “it’s just one assignment; just one trip.”

  “Still with us Nik?” Chara asks, noticing Nikki’s pensive look and distance from the conversation; “we’re talking about that new DP song they’re always playing.”

  “Sorry,” Nikki replies; “I was just looking at the moon.”

  “I can’t blame you,” Chara responds. “You’re gonna have to tell us all about your trip the second you get back.”

  “I will,” Nikki tells her friends; “I will.”

  Chara and Oriona hand Nikki a small pink shopping bag.

  “What’s this?” Nikki asks.

  “Just a little gift from us,” Chara tells her.

  “You guys, it’s not my birthday,” Nikki tells them.

  “It’s nothing,” Oriona says; “besides, it’s not every day that you go to the moon.”

  Nikki reads the card, smiles, and opens the bag. She opens a small gift box within the bag to find a new silver anklet.

  “The one I wanted,” she says excitedly; “how did you know?”

  “We saw you staring at it last week,” Oriona answers.

  “Oh, thank you both so much,” Nikki says sin
cerely; “I love you guys!”

  The talking stops for several seconds.

  “I have to admit I like the new DP song,” Nikki says to lighten the mood.

  “You told us you hated the singer,” Chara replies.

  “I know, and I do,” Nikki answers; “but a good song is a good song.”

  Chara, a fellow reporter with DOT-5 has now worked with Nikki for over six years. She’s envious of Nikki’s assignment but not nearly as envious as she is happy for her. They both have a lot in common and have grown close working together.

  Oriona hasn’t been around the station as long, but has fit into the friendship trio quite nicely. Being a DOT-5 producer rather than a reporter, she harbors absolutely no competitive tension whatsoever to the group, purely happiness. She’s a bit younger than Nikki and Oriona and feels a slight sense of sophistication to be hanging with them.

  Nikki takes another look at the moon as it sinks behind one of the towering buildings around her. There’s really no turning back now. How could she? She takes a deep breath and thinks of Cedric and his laser-com tests; it takes her mind off her trip. She struggles to hide her grin. If Cedric can send messages back in time, it only validates every instinct she’s ever had of him. Being several years younger than him, she has taken a little flak from a few friends and family over their dating. Becoming the first person in history to break the time barrier, however, would most likely silence them for good, for they wouldn’t be able to deny seeing in him what Nikki always has; his raw intelligence.

  Not wanting to seem so aloof, Nikki keeps her facial expressions attuned to her friends’ conversation while her mind remains adrift, a skill she’s mastered through broadcasting. She’s even learned to meditate in the middle of long conversations without the other party or parties even being aware that she’s doing it, so long as the conversation remains mindless enough.

  A block away, Cedric rounds the corner and walks directly into Nikki’s unfocused line of sight. To Nikki, it’s as though he walked into her daydream. She watches him wait at a light before making his way down the street and over to their table.

  “Have a seat,” Oriona tells Cedric as he approaches the table.

  “Thanks,” he replies, then takes a seat with them around their small table.

  “So how do you feel about Nikki’s trip?” Chara asks him.

  “Jealous,” Cedric replies, “but I’ll get there one day.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Oriona says smiling.

  “Thanks,” Cedric says in return. “I couldn’t be happier for Nikki though,” he adds; “or more proud.”

  After a few minutes of catching up, Cedric and Nikki excuse themselves from the table, then slide down the street and into the fading sunset.

  Moonliner 1:7

  Minutes later, Nikki and Cedric find themselves shoeless, sitting on a tatami matted floor around a shin-high table in a dark corner of Blue Sumie, their favorite sushi restaurant. They have now decided to skip the annual media mixer being held tonight at the Four Seasons for all local correspondents. Instead, they’ve opted for a private night together, alone.

  “My parents want us to go out to dinner with them after I get back,” Nikki tells Cedric.

  “They don’t like me because I’m old,” Cedric responds. “Do they really want to have dinner with me?” he asks.

  “Older,” Nikki answers, “and yes they do want to have dinner with you. They’ve never liked anyone I’ve dated in the beginning,” she says; “they’re protective parents.”

  “I can’t blame them,” Cedric replies, “you’re worth protecting.”

  Nikki smiles.

  “Do you think I’ll get motion sickness?” She asks Cedric.

  “I don’t think so,” he answers. “Weightlessness is a lot different from what I understand. It may be a little disorienting but I think you’ll get used to it quickly. Besides, most of your time will be spent on Earthport and Moondock,[4] which both have simulated gravity.”

  “Konban Wa,” a waitress in a colorful yukata says; “are you ready to order?” she asks.

  “Sure,” Nikki answers. “Sendai Platter kudasai,” she says, showing off what little Japanese she can remember from a trip she took to Osaka back in her college days.

  “And can we get two orders of agedashi-dofu?” Cedric asks.

  The waitress smiles, repeats the order, then takes a quick bow and disappears.

  “I have something for you,” Cedric says, handing Nikki a small box gift wrapped in shiny red paper.

  “What is it?” Nikki asks. “Can I open it?”

  “Sure, go ahead,” he replies.

  Nikki opens the package. In it, there’s a lavender, silk teddy and a pair of fishnet stockings. She smiles, knowing the gift is just as much for Cedric as it is for her, but loving it just the same.

  “Tonight’s a special night,” Cedric tells her; “a night to relish.”

  “Thank you,” Nikki says with a hint of bashfulness in her grin.

  They raise a glass to the night, to each other, and to the mystique that enshrouds their near future. They laugh like they always do, looking deeper into each other’s eyes as the evening rolls smoothly along.

  “Before I forget,” Cedric says, reaching into his dinner jacket.

  “The message?” Nikki asks.

  “Yes,” he answers, taking a small metal transmitter out of his pocket and handing it to her. “The message is already coded into the device. You simply have to press link, then press send once you’re already on Moondock. The message will then route through Moondock’s relay station, waiting for the exact moment I’ve programed it to transmit. It’s directed to transmit back here, to our local relay station, where hopefully I can receive it and compare time stamps.”

  “And did you think of an alternative to laserlink in the event your message lands further back than expected?”

  “I did,” Cedric answers; “I took your advice.”

  “How did you tell them to contact you?” Nikki asks smiling, frolicking in the wonder of Cedric’s work.

  “I told them to leave a message under the stone near Lost Lagoon,” Cedric replies, pointing out Blue Sumie’s large glass windows, across the bay toward the park.

  “The moon stone?” Nikki asks.

  “I didn’t know it had a name,” Cedric replies.

  “How romantic!” Nikki says. “Wouldn’t it be wild if someone left you a message under that rock?”

  “Yes,” Cedric answers with a highly skeptical grin, “it would be wild.”

  The stars couldn’t be more aligned for Cedric. This night is the sum of his dreams. As anxious as he is to verify his scientific claims, he’s comfortable in the present just knowing how close he is, and that he’s the only guy on the planet who knows how to bend time.

  After dinner, the two make their way to their hotel, the Orion. They check into a room on the twenty-second floor with a breathtaking view of the city, mountains, water and the park.

  Nikki tells Cedric that she wants a bath, then goes into the bathroom and turns the water on in their sunken tub. She adds bubble bath, then sits down on the edge of the tub staring into the mirror. She can see in the mirror that modern life is wearing her down. A hot bubble bath is just what she needs.

  Meanwhile, Cedric kicks off his shoes and unbuttons his shirt, then lies on the bed shuffling through TV stations to find something to keep his interest. He pauses on a news channel, then begins drifting to sleep as news is reported.

  “What do Ecuador, Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya, & Uganda all have in common?” the reporter asks; “they are among fourteen countries that lie on the equator, making them all candidates for the newly planned space elevator. All equatorial nations are meeting with UN officials this week in New York at the orbital development forum. A decision is not expected to be made on the matter until early next year, when the project reaches its next phase.

  “Neuro-scientists, working with pathologists at Waseda University in Tokyo J
apan claim to have isolated the notorious death gene. ‘This is bigger than people realize,’ says Professor Daisuke Tanabe. ‘We soon will not only have the means to have people cryogenically frozen, but also awakened.’ This discovery has sparked a growing number of sit-in protests on campuses of several major universities around the world, all fueled by the demand for greater laws curbing or banning the practice altogether.”

  Cedric awakens to Nikki standing at the foot of his bed, wearing the teddy and stockings. She has never looked more beautiful to Cedric, who couldn’t have had a more pleasant awakening. Gently, Nikki slides into the bed and up next to Cedric.

  “I’ll miss you,” she softly whispers.

  “I’ll miss you too,” he replies; “but I’ll see you again soon.”

  “I’m happy we skipped the mixer tonight,” Nikki says.

  “So am I,” Cedric replies.

  Their pillow talk fades to giggles, gentle sighing and soft breathing. The waning moon comes into focus through the room’s sliding glass door, left open a little to exchange air. A late evening summer breeze gently moves the door curtains as the bed sheets begin to flow in steady, rhythmic waves of passion.

  Moonliner 1:8

  Nikki stands face to face with Cedric in front of a long, seemingly endless corridor. Boarding announcements perpetually play in the background. Nikki has an empty look on her face, as though she doesn’t want to leave. Cedric offers what comfort he can.